1. Field of the Invention.
The present invention relates to an attachment for grain combines that will permit spreading chaff across a substantial width of ground, preferably equaling the width of the cut material which is being threshed by the combine.
2. Description of the Prior Art.
Various blower apparatus has been used in the prior art for directing grain and chaff during separating the grain from the chaff and also for blowing straw. It has been proposed to blow chaff from one side of the combine laterally across the combine and out of the combine for spreading it. This still provides some difficulties because an air blast all of the way across the chaffer seive of the combine interferes with a good discharge of the chaff and does not give adequate spreading ability. U.S. Pat. No. 3,014,485 shows a combine that uses a cyclone type grain cleaning and separating mechanism. Air is used in such cyclones for discharging material. On this patent suction fan 35 discharges materials out through a spout 43, while the clean grain drops down into an auger 37 shown in the drawings of this patent. It does not show directing chaff in two directions, but merely directing it out through one spout 43.
A grain loss monitor that mounts to the back of a chaffer for monitoring grain is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,638,659, but it is for checking how much grain is being lost out the back end of the combine. It does not have any air blower to distribute chaff.
Fans for distributing material out of a pair of spouts are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,443,565, but this is not for mounting at the back of a combine.
Blowers that blow air along a chaffer in hillside combines to adequately distribute material on the chaffer surface itself is shown in U. S. Pat. No. 3,910,285, but this is interior of the combine and provides for distribution of material across the surface of the chaffer seive, while the seive is operating.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,406,505 shows a combine that relies in large part upon air for moving materials through the combine, including discharging materials. U.S. Pat. No. 4,254,780 shows an axial flow combine where diverters are used for diverting material, such as a baffle 65 that deflects material laterally from the rotor of the combine.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,236,530 shows a combine that uses a fan for moving materials and also for discharging materials rearwardly, but does not show laterally directed centrally located nozzles for spreading chaff from a regular combine.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,695,532 shows a chaffer for a stationary thresher using diverter plates and the like. U.S. Pat. No. 3,860,010 shows an auger for conveying chaff from a chaffer sieve onto the top of a thick stray window which will later be baled. This device works where the straw is to be baled, but many persons now leave the straw in the field.